Casey Kasem American Top 40

[SFGuy]

This morning I'm listening to Casey's 80s: Feb. 23, 1980.  The sea change is palpable - this set is very white, very adult.  Two songs in the Top 10 I have no memory of hearing at the time: Andy Gibb's "Desire" (which somehow made it to #4 despite not having a decent hook or a strong vocal) and Kenny Rogers's "Coward of the County" (surprising, given that I heard plenty of other KR around the house; my father in particular loved "Lucille").

And now, Most Unnecessary of Set: Teri DeSario with KC, "Yes, I'm Ready."

This is probably due to "Disco hangover". People were tired of the disco era at this point.

The XM version was pretty close to this show. They have Feb 16, 1980.

[Wayback]

This weekend (2/28) Casey70's visits Feb 23, 1974!  Playlist:
http://www.whnn.com/goout.asp?u=http://images.radcity.net/5874/3518024.pdf

[RGMike]

This weekend (2/28) Casey70's visits Feb 23, 1974!  Playlist:
http://www.whnn.com/goout.asp?u=http://images.radcity.net/5874/3518024.pdf

Thanks for always being on top of this, Wayback!

Some fine forgotten goodies here, like Smokey's "Baby Come Close", Natural Four's "Can This Be Real", Lamont Dozier's "Tryin' to Hold On to My Woman", and Mocedades' "Eres Tu".  On the WOS side, there's Wednesday's unnecessary remake of "Last Kiss". And the weird juxtaposition (thanks to the TV-movie Sunshine) of John Denver's "Sunshine on My Shoulders" with (actor and star of that film) Cliff DeYoung covering Denver's "My Sweet Lady". Plus I get another chance to say that Diana's "Last Time I Saw Him" shoulda been done by Helen Reddy.

[Wayback]

Kickin' off this week's replay from 2/23/74, at #40, is the debut of Dickie Goodman's "Energy Crisis '74."  In 2008 his son Jon updated that hit with "Economy Crisis" substituting newer songs.  Hear it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwEhA4lkTwQ.
That's followed by Barry White's "Never Never Gonna Give You Up," about to slide off the chart after 15 weeks.  At #37 is the debut of the Spinners "Mighty Love (Pt. 1)"

[Tinka Cat]

This weekend (2/28) Casey70's visits Feb 23, 1974!  Playlist:
http://www.whnn.com/goout.asp?u=http://images.radcity.net/5874/3518024.pdf

I'll echo Mike and say Thanks to Wayback for posting the AT40 list each week -- I always check it out w anticipation before the weekend arrives. 

btw, there are a lot of online listening options listed here: http://radiotime.com/ListeningOptions.aspx?ProgramId=117092  ...So right now I'm listening to the 105.5 FM kqxx.net, which starts at 10 am Sunday

I used to love Dickie Goodman's "Jaws" when I was a kid --  but his voice is def NOT professional performer quality, which I kinda like.  He doesn't change his modulation that much and he's almost yelling his lines.   ha!  He's got a slight regional accent.  sounds like a regular dude from New Yawk (?).

That BB King tune was kinda weak, I thought.  But here's the Smokey tune.  nice!

then the 1:30 edit version of Stevie Wonder's Living for the City.  pfft.  I guess Casey would never play the loong version with its narrative interlude.

[RGMike]

Proxy of GazWOS to Tom T Hall's "I Love", tho' I personally think it's rather sweet. Who can argue with little baby ducks?

VHM to ONJ's "Let Me Be There". TANC: an hour later, KFRC played "If You Love Me Let Me Know" -- followed by JS's "Miracles". (They rarely play 2 '70s songs back-to-back.) And BOS Ree-Ree's always fabulous "Until You Come Back to Me".

[RGMike]

I used to love Dickie Goodman's "Jaws" when I was a kid --  but his voice is def NOT professional performer quality, which I kinda like.  He doesn't change his modulation that much and he's almost yelling his lines.   ha!  He's got a slight regional accent.  Just just a dude from New Yawk (?)

You are correct -- he's from Hewlett (which is on Lawn Guyland).

[Tinka Cat]

i really liked #22 “ERES TU (TOUCH THE WIND)” by Mocedades.  Now that scene in the movie "Tommy Boy" is so much more meaningful.

Never was a fan of Carly Simon and JT doing "Mockingbird," though.  His voice grates in this one.

[Gazoo]

WOS to Cliff DeYoung (my sweet lord, the guy can't sing).  BOS to the NTM Lamont Dozier "Tryin' to Hold On to My Woman."

[RGMike]

WOS to Cliff DeYoung (my sweet lord, the guy can't sing). 

I won't disagree about his voice, but by way of explanation, he played a songwriter in that film (not a singer), and the songs his character "wrote" were John Denver's. They were trying to milk the soundtrack, I guess, and Denver's "Sunshine" was already charting.

And it was Lamont Dozier's peak year -- "TTHOTMW" would get to #15, and his great political screed "Fish Ain't Bitin' ("Tricky Dick, stop yo' shit!") would hit the Top 40 that summer.

BTW, I guess you made it back to NYC in spite of the snow? The Weather Channel is wall-to-wall "Mega-Storm 2009" coverage.

[Gazoo]

BTW, I guess you made it back to NYC in spite of the snow? The Weather Channel is wall-to-wall "Mega-Storm 2009" coverage.

Yes, I made a point of beating the storm.  Watching it accumulate from my front window now.  Good thing I'm off tomorrow (although I have to go across town for a doctor's appt).

[Wayback]

This weekend (3/7-8) Casey70's goes back to March 6, 1971 !  Playlist:
http://www.whnn.com/goout.asp?u=http://images.radcity.net/5874/3535656.pdf

[RGMike]

This weekend (3/7-8) Casey70's goes back to March 6, 1971 !  Playlist:
http://www.whnn.com/goout.asp?u=http://images.radcity.net/5874/3535656.pdf

Fab. Yoo. LUSS!  This chart is from right before AT40 got picked up in NYC, so it's one I truly have never heard before. Forgotten 4 Tops, Bloodrock (who?), Bobby Sherman, and Rufus Thomas; Johnny Taylor singing about "Jody" (Gaz take note!); no less than three versions of the Theme from Love Story (!!) and the mighty Mike Curb Congregation, before he became Lt. Gov. of Calif.  Wow.

[Gazoo]

This weekend (3/7-8) Casey70's goes back to March 6, 1971 !  Playlist:
http://www.whnn.com/goout.asp?u=http://images.radcity.net/5874/3535656.pdf

Fab. Yoo. LUSS!  This chart is from right before AT40 got picked up in NYC, so it's one I truly have never heard before. Forgotten 4 Tops, Bloodrock (who?), Bobby Sherman, and Rufus Thomas; Johnny Taylor singing about "Jody" (Gaz take note!); no less than three versions of the Theme from Love Story (!!) and the mighty Mike Curb Congregation, before he became Lt. Gov. of Calif.  Wow.

Bloodrock was a shitty rock band that did a horrible death song called "D.O.A." about the last painful thoughts during and after a plane crash.

No need for me to take note of the "Jody" thing; that was rejected and I've dropped the topic.

Nothing "mighty" about Mike Curb, though I did get smatterings of applause when I sang "The Candy Man" at a gay karaoke bar in D.C. last weekend.

[SFGuy]

Unlike Mike, I hate the early 70s music to a point where if I want to take a nap, I would put on this period's light rock music. However, I would love to hear the very first American Top 40. I hope somebody broadcast the first show during 4th of July weekend.